Metroidvania

Description

Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania and refers to games that feature the most distinctive gameplay concept of the Metroid games and later Castlevania games. Games of this genre feature a freely explorable world that is gated in content by specific abilities that need to be acquired by the player. Generally these game have a central hub from which the player can move to various interconnected levels which gradually unlock as the player acquires new skills. A large number of Metroidvania games use a side scrolling perspective like the games the name derives from but this is not a requirement. Top-down or bird's-eye view (e.g. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past) or 3D games (e.g. Batman: Arkham Asylum) can also share these concepts. Metroidvania games usually feature mild RPG elements such as upgradable health.